Sea of Thieves drama explained as prominent creator banned over serious allegations

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A well-known member of the Sea of Thieves community has been removed from the game’s official program and banned following online accusations of inappropriate behavior involving minors.

Bruno, also known online as “heslashthem,” was a key member of Rare’s Boatswain program. This program recognized popular creators and community leaders as official representatives of the game.

Allegations against “Bruno” in Sea of Thieves

Talk about Bruno intensified after numerous documents, screenshots, and live discussions spread on platforms like Reddit, Discord, and other social media sites.

The accusations involved claims of improper contact with young people, sexually suggestive comments made to players under 18, and demands for photos.

On May 9th, someone contacted me about being victimized by Bruno. For the last seven months, Bruno had been manipulating a 15-year-old into sharing inappropriate content. It’s shocking that this went on for so long, even with clear warning signs. #SeaofThieves 1/2

— Vic (@realThatGuyVic) May 12, 2026

Bruno’s official account on the Sea of Thieves forum has been banned, and he’s also no longer listed as a community moderator (Boatswain) in official spaces.

Online discussions also suggested Bruno was taken off his positions in the game’s Discord server and removed from any marketing materials.

A major controversy arose from screenshots showing sexual jokes being made during online gameplay with a 16-year-old participant.

A Reddit post claimed that Bruno wasn’t approved through the standard voting process for a promotion to Boatswain and that the promotion was pushed through unfairly. The post also alleged that some community moderators were silencing conversations about the situation.

Boatswains are officially endorsed by Rare BTW.
byu/fivesofclubs inSeaofthieves

Screenshots and documents reportedly show Bruno responding to accusations, claiming some were false and that evidence had been altered or misrepresented.

Community members quit SoT Partner Program

The disagreement has led to broader concerns about how the Sea of Thieves community is run, with players wondering about the process for choosing and overseeing official community representatives.

Many previous fans and people involved with the game have recently expressed their disapproval. Some have chosen to end their official partnerships with Sea of Thieves.

Hi Sea of Thieves team, I’m requesting that my name and the Hat of Unfeasibly Glorious Fame be removed from my account and the game’s website. I no longer want to be linked to the brand following recent events.

— Ozurian ✨ (@OzurianArt) May 13, 2026

I’ve made the difficult decision to leave the Sea of Thieves Partner Program. I’m incredibly grateful for everything Sea of Thieves has given me – the amazing opportunities, the friends I’ve made, and all the great memories. However, recent events involving another partner have led me to this choice.

— HitboTC (@HitboTC) May 14, 2026

I’ve been a Partner for six years, and this program is deeply important to me and my community. However, ensuring everyone’s safety must be our top priority, and we can’t compromise on that.

Simply making a statement isn’t enough anymore. We need to see real accountability and meaningful changes to how the Partner…

— Phuzzy (@PhuzzyBond) May 14, 2026

So, as of right now, Rare hasn’t really said much about what’s going on with the bans or why Boatswain was taken out of the game. They haven’t officially explained the situation at all, which is pretty frustrating as a player.

Rare addressed the conversation on Discord, explaining that to ensure the server follows its rules, they’re temporarily slowing activity while their European-based team takes a break.

Just to be clear, we’re taking all reports seriously and addressing them quickly. As always, we can’t discuss specific reports or incidents publicly.

TopMob has contacted Rare for comment.

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2026-05-14 13:49